Rotational grazing. Seldom has one farming system provided so many benefits in such a variety of areas—farm profitability, global and local environmental health, soil health, and sustainability.
The Mountains-to-Bay (M2B) Grazing Alliance brings together private and public partners to promote the implementation of rotational grazing and related conservation practices. The M2B Grazing Alliance was initially created through a 2015 USDA Conservation Innovation Grant that brought together state-based groups promoting rotational grazing in Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Through a new grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, we are building on and expanding the partnership to leverage and share resources and information, and to provide assistance to producers wanting to transition to rotational grazing systems in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
The work of the Alliance will be guided by a Steering Committee composed of partners from each state.
A key element of the Alliance's mission continues to be outreach through on-farm demonstrations, field days, and peer-to-peer dialog. By expanding and strengthening the M2B partnership, enhancing outreach efforts, and leveraging private, state, and federal funds, we will accelerate the implementation of rotational grazing and related practices. Specifically, our initial goal is to work with roughly 30 producers to convert 1,700 acres to rotational grazing, as well as to implement related practices such as riparian forested buffers, livestock stream exclusion, stream crossings, and off-stream watering. Perhaps more importantly, over the next two years, we will also explore mechanisms to ensure the life of the M2B Grazing Alliance extends beyond the life of the grant.
| Name | Affliliation |
|---|---|
| Ann Basehore | Capital Resource Conservation & Development |
| Matt Booher | Virginia Cooperative Extension |
| Brian Campbell | Natural Resources Conservation Service, Pennsylvania |
| J.B. Daniel | Natural Resources Conservation Service, Virginia |
| John Fike (alt) | Virginia Cooperative Extension |
| Jacob Gilley** | American Farmland Trust |
| Amanda Grev* | University of Maryland Extension |
| Ben Heavner | West Virginia Conservation Agency |
| Alston Horn (alt) | Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Virginia |
| Samaria King | Future Harvest-Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture |
| Rob Schnabel | Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Maryland |
| Jeff Semler | University of Maryland Extension |
| Carl Stafford | Virginia Cooperative Extension |
| Lucas Waybright | Pennsylvania Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture |
**Steering Committee Chair | *Steering Committee Co-chair
